1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel method for preparing a base for a hollandaise-type sauce and to the novel product of that method. The invention includes also a novel method for making a hollandaise-type sauce using the novel sauce base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hollandaise sauce and bernaise sauce are two of a class of rich foamy hollandaise-type sauces that are frequently used in fancy cooking. Hollandaise-type sauces are ordinarily made in a warmed container by beating a mixture of egg yolks, clarified butter, lemon juice and selected seasonings to impart a light, foamy, homogeneous consistency to the mixture. The foamy mixture or sauce is then dispensed on meat, fish, etc. just prior to being served. These sauces are difficult to make to a consistently high quality standard because of narrow tolerances for the process factors involved. Such process factors include the time and degree of heating and beating the mixture, the amount of air beaten into the mixture, the degree of homogeneity required, etc. Also, extra steps and effort are required to prepare liquid clarified butter prior to mixing with the other ingredients of the recipe. Liquid clarified butter may be prepared by melting a quantity of ordinary butter in a container over low heat until it is brought almost to boiling. The heat is removed and the liquid butter is allowed to stand for a few minutes while the milk solids therein settle to the bottom of the container. The liquid butter fat is skimmed off the top leaving the milk solids in the bottom of the container, which are discarded. The skimmed off clear yellow butter fat is clarified butter. After the sauce is dispensed, it may change in color and/or texture, or the ingredients therein can separate in a short period of time due to coagulation, evaporation, for example, rendering the dispensed sauce less attractive. Frequently, when the sauces are served in restaurants, they have separated or are poorly flavored due to doctoring in the kitchen; that is, the sauce was modified after the characteristics of the sauce deteriorated prior to dispensing.
Still, there is a great demand for hollandaise-type sauces for both restaurant and home use, and many variations in the recipe and the process of making have been suggested to overcome the above mentioned and other problems, and also to lower the cost of the sauce. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,495 to J. Hammer el. at. discloses a method and an apparatus for making hollandaise-type sauces in small and large quantities, substantially on demand, which method is particularly is adapted for use in restaurants. In that prior method, batches the entire sauce recipe, including the egg yolks, molten butter, lemon juice and seasoning are mixed without foaming and then frozen. Then, as need is anticipated, batches of the frozen mixture are thawed to temperatures of less than 50.degree. C. and held in readiness. When there is an actual need for the final sauce, one or more thawed batches is admixed with air and homogenized, preferably with the equipment disclosed in that patent.
Freezing and then thawing the whole sauce mixture has been suggested prior to the disclosure in the Hammer et. al. While freezing adds some shelf life to the mixture, the added shelf life is not substantial and is not adequate for practical distribution of the frozen mixture in supermarkets and the like. Also the texture and flavor of the finished sauce made from the frozen mixture changes with respect to storage time of the frozen mixture. Also, the sauce is prone to separate after it is dispensed.